Alameda County makes no decision on using drone

OAKLAND, Calif.—The Alameda County Sheriff's Office says they will go back to the drawing board in its pursuit of being among the few local law enforcement agencies to use unmanned aerial drones.

The public protection committee of the county's Board of Supervisors took no action Thursday on whether to allow the full board to vote on a $31,646 state grant toward the purchase of a drone.

Sheriff Greg Ahern told the committee that the device would be used for search and rescue missions, wildfire response and to capture fugitives, not for surveillance or gathering intelligence on civilians.

But lawyers for the American Civil Liberties Union expressed further concern about a lack of privacy safeguards and encouraged strict limitations on the drone's use.

Ahern later said that his office will continue working with the ACLU on guidelines that all parties can be satisfied with.